The Socialist 25 August 2021

NHS pay: 3% is not enough

Afghanistan disaster - Unite to fight for funding for refugees and local communities

Afghanistan in crisis:

Afghanistan: The Taliban takeover - what are the lessons for the workers' movement internationally

NHS Pay

UK hospitals in danger of collapse

University of Leeds students bribed to stay away while staff are under attack

Exam results: grade gap widens

Lessons from Poplar 100 years on

NEU: Oppose the pay freeze with action not just words

Care workers struggle for a pay rise and trade union recognition

Reject the Ministry of Justice pay offer

East Midlands rail strikes continue

Homelessness workers fight for better pay and conditions across sector

Woolwich ferry strikers - the action necessary to win

Liverpool university strike saves jobs

Nigeria: Comrade Omomeewa, student leader and socialist campaigner, killed by armed assailants

SNP-Green deal will not deliver for workers and youth

Reflections on the Lebanese tragedy one year on

Biggest in-person socialist event this year!

Ealing by-election: Labour council has not opposed Tory cuts

Why I rejoined the Socialist Party

Councils declared climate emergency - now act like it!

Wales: Gearing up for 9 October youth marches

Liverpool: Stop the arms fair!

Marching for Kashmir's liberation

Donate to stop Tories clawing back crumbs

Film Review: Martin Eden

TV review: Revolutionary Love

PO Box 1398, Enfield EN1 9GT

020 8988 8777

[email protected]

Link to this page: https://secure.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/1145/32945

Search the site	Printable version

Home | The Socialist 25 August 2021 | Join the Socialist Party

Subscribe | Donate | Audio | PDF | ebook

Liverpool: Stop the arms fair!

Photo: Paul Mattsson (Click to enlarge)

Roger Bannister, Liverpool Socialist Party

Disgracefully, Liverpool is set to host the AOC Europe 2021 arms fair in October, at the council owned Echo Arena. On display, and up for sale will be warplane components, components for missile systems, drones and other military hardware.

Representatives of governments from many countries, plus their top military brass, will rub shoulders with the merchants of death determined to make massive profits out of military conflict and human suffering.

Back in June this year, hundreds of protesters marched through Liverpool city centre against the arms fair. In 2019 an arms event at the Arena was cancelled by the council following a public backlash.

Despite promises of a fresh start for Labour in Liverpool, following the political demise of former Mayor Joe Anderson, the newly elected Mayor Joanne Anderson (no relation), and the bulk of the right-wing Labour councillors, are refusing to take effective action to stop this event.

The Arena is council owned, run by an arms-length (no pun intended) company called ACC. But all the councillors have resigned from its Board of Directors, leaving it entirely in 'non-political' hands. This allows the councillors to pretend that they are powerless to act against the arms fair.

Faced with Labour's cowardice, it was left to the Green Party to move an amendment to ban the event. Only four Labour councillors defied the party whip to support this ban!

Cowardice in the council chamber is now being mixed with hypocrisy, as Labour councillors who voted for the arms fair are campaigning with a petition against it!

The Socialist Party rejects this nonsense from the Labour Party, and demands that the arms fair be cancelled immediately!

In this issue

What we think

Afghanistan disaster - Unite to fight for funding for refugees and local communities